


Something New

by remanth



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Lestrolly, Mollstrade, Molstrade, case!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-18 16:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remanth/pseuds/remanth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greg's wife leaves him and Molly comforts him at the pub. They soon realize that they are attracted to each other</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deep in Thought

The sky was a murky gray and a chill wind blew through London as Molly Hooper walked out of St. Bart's. She was finally done for the day and looking forward to getting a pint at the bar near the hospital. She bundled her coat closer around her body, wrapping her scarf around her throat. She walked the three blocks to the pub and opened the heavy wooden door. A blast of heat blew out and she smiled. The warmth felt wonderful.

Taking a quick look around the pub, Molly saw DI Greg Lestrade sitting in a corner booth. The DI was staring into his pint, apparently deep in thought. A couple of empty glasses testified to the fact that his current pint was not his first one. Molly made her way over to him and smiled as he looked up.

"Greg," Molly said brightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Gettin' drunk," Greg said morosely. "Wife leff me." Molly sat down in the booth with him and laid a hand consolingly on his arm. His bleary eyes looked into hers and a tear rolled down his face.

"I'm sorry," Molly said, voice full of sympathy. "You want some company?"

"'K," Greg mumbled. "Haff a beer." He pointed at his pint helpfully and Molly signalled to the bartender. Two more pints were carried to the table and the empties carried off. Picking hers up, Molly clinked the glass against the inspector's.

"To a better future," Molly intoned solemnly before both broke into giggles. They took a deep drink and sat there, staring around the pub.

"Bloody bastard was right, ya know," Greg slurred, annoyance in his voice. He took another drink of his beer, not seeing Molly's look of surprise. Clearing her throat, Molly glanced at Greg, a question in her eyes. He looked up again and smiled.

"Sherlock," Greg clarified. "Said she'd leaff me for the PE teasher. And she did." Molly nodded and sighed. She knew how blunt and tactless the detective could be. She patted Greg's arm again and ordered another round for the two of them.

"At least you still have your friends," Molly said, carefully enunciating her words. The beer was starting to affect her, too.

"Sherlock isn't really a friend," Greg argued. "At least on his side. And John is good but he spends all his time running after Sherlock." Greg hiccupped lightly, covering his mouth with his hand. He grinned at Molly who blushed.

"You have me," she said quietly. "I'm your friend." Greg hooked an arm over her shoulders and gave her a light hug. Molly blushed an even deeper red but hugged him back. She actually kind of liked it.

"By the way," Greg said. "Really liked your dress at Christmas. Sorry didn't say anything then. Too tongue-tied."

"Th... thanks," Molly replied, surprised. "I don't often dress up. Glad it came off well." Greg nodded and clinked his glass against hers again. They drank and continued to share stories about cases they'd worked and their lives. Greg didn't remove his hand from around Molly's shoulders and Molly didn't move away. They slowly started tilting towards one another, resting easily against each other as they got more drunk.

Greg studied Molly out of the corner of his eye, fighting the blurriness in his vision. She really was pretty and he kind of liked having her under his arm. Before he could talk himself out of it, he brushed a gentle kiss against her temple. He froze when she flinched and mentally slapped himself.

Molly was really enjoying sitting with Greg and being held under his arm. They had swapped so many stories, each one running into another. She had completely relaxed when he leaned down and kissed her. She froze in surprise and just gaped at him. Greg moved to remove his arm and Molly blushed a deep, deep red. She hadn't been expecting him to have any feelings for her; she had just realized she might like him.

"Sorry 'bout that," Greg mumbled, staring at his beer. "Seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"It's... it's ok," Molly managed, her throat closing. "It was actually kind of nice." She had to chuckle at the look of hope Greg shot her when he looked up. Taking all her courage in hand, Molly leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Leaning back, she took another drink of her beer. Greg's arm hooked over her shoulder again and he drew her close.

"That was nice too," he said, smiling. Molly relaxed again and leaned into him.

"Think we'll remember this when we're sober?" Molly asked, giggling lightly.

"I don't know," Greg said thoughtfully. "I hope so." Then he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, tracing her mouth lightly.


	2. Keeping a Secret

Bars of sunlight lying on her face woke Molly the next morning. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, a headache of monumental proportions pounding behind her eyes. She slowly worked herself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Aspirin and water were definitely called for. After swallowing the pills and downing two cups of water, Molly felt well enough to try to make it out to her living room. Though when she did, she froze at the sight.

Greg Lestrade lay stretched out on her couch, one arm flung over his eyes. He was snoring quietly and muttering in his sleep. Flashes of last night burned through Molly's mind and she blushed again when she remembered that they had kissed. A lot. With a small tender smile in the DI's direction, Molly grabbed a glass of water and more aspirin for when he woke up. She headed into the kitchen to make a light breakfast of toast and coffee, waiting for the inspector to wake on his own.

Greg woke up to the drumline pounding in his head. He groaned and looked around, not recognizing the room he was in. He turned his head and saw the pills and water sitting on the coffee table. He reached for them desperately, downing the water in three swallows. He looked up as a muffled thump came from the kitchen. Molly's kitchen.

'What did I do last night?' he thought to himself. 'I vaguely remember Molly meeting me at the pub. Wait, did I kiss her?' He stood slowly, carefully, trying not to lose the contents of his stomach. He shuffled into the kitchen and stood looking at Molly.

"Morning," Molly said quietly, eating her toast. "You hungry? I've got toast." Greg nodded gratefully at her and sat down at the table. He laid his head in his hands, hoping the aspirin kicked in soon. Molly bustled around the kitchen, making more toast and laying jam on the table. Handing the plate to Greg, she sat down again, carefully not looking at him. He spread the strawberry jam on the toast, trying to think of what to say.

"Molly," he started awkwardly. "I remember kissing you last night. I'm sorry if I embarassed you or made you feel uncomfortable."

"It's all right," Molly told him. "I understand that you were having a hard time last night." Greg flinched at her slightly distant tone. He had enjoyed it, he remembered that, but Molly made it sound like a chore on her end.

"Thanks for being my friend," he said. "I was having a really hard time last night. And don't take it the wrong way, but I really did enjoy kissing you." He looked down at his toast, not wanting to meet Molly's eyes. Greg didn't want to lose her as a friend, but he felt she needed to know that he enjoyed her company. Enjoyed kissing her.

"I enjoyed it too," Molly said, smiling at him. "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

"I'd like that," Greg said hopefully. He stood from his chair, leaving his toast forgotten on the plate. He moved next to Molly, leaned down, and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Molly leaned into him, her lips curving into a smile against his. Greg drew her up to her feet and wrapped his arms around her carefully. Molly stepped into him, her arms wrapping around him tightly. They broke apart, breaths hitching and stared into each other's eyes.

"You are wonderful, Molly Hooper," Greg whispered to her.

"And so are you, Greg Lestrade," Molly whispered back, her eyes crinkling in her smile.

"Think we should keep this a secret?" he asked, pulling her tight against him.

"What's the point?" Molly asked, giggling quietly. "Sherlock will just deduce it anyway." Greg laughed with her and shrugged.

"You're right," he said. "No keeping secrets for us." Ignoring the rest of the toast, Greg led her out to the living room and sat down on the couch, pulling her next to him. Molly went willingly, blushing a bit again. The inspector ran a gentle hand over her cheek and kissed her again, slowly and lovingly. They both had the day off that day and spent it in Molly's flat, talking and kissing.


	3. Tower

Later that night, Greg received a text on his phone. He picked it up and looked apologetically at Molly. She nodded at him, understanding he tended to be always on call. So was she, for that matter.

"Body found at water tower. You're requested. - Donovan"

He sighed and tucked his phone into his pocket. Kissing Molly gently on the cheek, he stood and threw on his coat.

"They need me at a crime scene," Greg explained. "Can I see you tomorrow?" Molly blushed at the hopeful tone to Greg's words and nodded.

"Maybe we can go out for coffee?" she suggested. "There's a nice cafe near the park." Greg nodded and walked to the door. Molly stood to meet him there, rising on tiptoe to give him a final kiss on the lips. They smiled at each other before he walked downstairs and took a cab to the water tower.

\-----------------------------

"Hello, Donovan," he greeted his second in command. She nodded at him and walked up to the crime scene with him.

"Victim is a young woman, late 20s," she said. "Stabbed several times in the chest and dumped here." Greg nodded at her and went to examine the body himself. The woman was blond and rather pretty. Now, her eyes were open in surprise, the blue slowly fading. Blood soaked the front of her clothes but there was very little on the ground. He rolled his eyes at Anderson, who was carrying on loudly about what he believed happened.

Sighing, Greg pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contacts. He was getting sick of Anderson's confident babble; the man was almost always wrong. Finding the name he wanted, he sent a quick text.

"Got a case. Interested? The water tower. - GL"

"All right. Be there soon. - SH"

Greg grinned, anticipating the scathing retorts Sherlock might deliver to Anderson. He was seriously considering replacing the tech with someone who was a little less annoying. He studied the body further, trying to glean as much information from the body as he could. He turned at Donovan's quiet scoff.

"Freak's here," she said, tilting her chin at Sherlock and John. "Really, why do you keep calling him? He's probably the one doing this in the first place."

"Shut up, Donovan," Greg replied absently. "He's helped solve more cases than all of us put together. And you have no evidence other than your dislike of him to say that." She sneered at Greg but made no further comments. She walked over to stand near Anderson, hate radiating off both of them. Sherlock spared them a glance and snorted. John smiled at Sherlock's reaction and said nothing.

"Hello," Greg greeted them. He met Sherlock's eyes, long used to the penetrating stares the detective gave everyone. This time, though, his eyes sharpened and he swept down every inch of Greg's form. Greg fidgeted uncomfortably while John looked from Sherlock to him and back again.

"You and Molly?" Sherlock asked quietly so only John and Greg heard him. "Ah, good." With that, he turned and swept over to the body, whipping out his magnifying glass. Greg turned startled eyes to John, who met his eyes with his own surprised blue ones.

"How could he possibly know?" Greg asked John.

"I don't know," John replied. "But you and Molly? What happened with your wife?"

"PE teacher," Sherlock called from over near the body. "And the perfume and lipstick were a giveaway." Greg started and pulled his collar away from his throat. Sure enough, a small print of Molly's lipstick sat accusingly on the collar. He sighed and fixed his collar again, hoping no one caught the exchance. Sherlock stood and clicked his magnifying lens closed. He stalked back over to Greg and looked at them both.

"Woman was stabbed very deeply and violently," Sherlock explained quickly. "Ring missing from the ring finger of her left hand. Killer was most probably the fiance or husband and he took the ring to remove a link to him." Sherlock stopped and took a breath. He fixed Lestrade with a fierce glare and stepped in close to his personal space.

"If you hurt Molly," he warned, his voice deadly quiet. "I will destroy you, friend or no friend." With that, he nodded and turned on his heel. He stalked away, his coat flapping behind him. John gave Greg a commiserating look and patted him on the shoulder.

"He really has changed," Greg said, surprise in his voice. "He never used to care before. You have turned him into a good man." John blushed and grinned. He darted a glance at Sherlock's retreating back, grinning wider at the imperious, "Come on, John!" from the detective.

"You have no idea," John finally said. "He's let someone in and its easier for him to let others close to him now. And he really does care for Molly. Almost like a sister." Greg nodded and smiled as thoughts of Molly filled his mind.

"I won't hurt her," he promised John. "I really do care about her."

"Good," John said, nodding at him. "Because Sherlock would need to race me to get to you first." Greg laughed and slapped John on the shoulder. The doctor nodded at him and jogged after Sherlock, walking next to the detective.

"He approves," Greg said wonderingly. "Who would have thought it?"


	4. Kissing Day With Molly

The next morning, Greg, Donovan and a couple officers stood outside the murdered woman's house. Turns out she was married and she and her husband had had a blazing row yesterday. He knocked on the door and waited impatiently for the husband to answer. Within a minute or so, a tall black-haired man answered the door. He rubbed his hands nervously as he saw the ID badges all the officers held up.

"Can I help you?" the man muttered, staring into Greg's eyes.

"Mr. Murphy?" Greg asked and the man nodded. "Can we come in?" Murphy stepped backwards and opened the door, allowing the officers to walk in. Greg looked around the house and noticed several cracked pictures and empty spaces on shelves. Apparently, someone liked to throw things during a fight. He turned to face Murphy.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you," Greg started, eyeing him carefully. "But your wife Nancy was murdered yesterday." Murphy twitched and glanced furtively at the kitchen.

"H.. How?" he stuttered, pacing the room.

"She was stabbed," Greg answered. "I'm sorry for your loss. But we need to ask you a few questions if you're up for it." Sitting down, Greg gently but ruthlessly interrogated the man, edging towards the answer he knew was coming. Within several minutes, Murphy finally confessed and was handcuffed. Greg stood and ran a hand through his hair, sighing. He was worn out but had time for a quick shower and change before meeting Molly. Walking outside, he saw a bus with an interesting advertisement thunder past.

"National Kissing Day?" Greg chuckled to himself. "That could have interesting possibilities with Molly." Still chuckling, he hailed a cab and went home.

\------------------------------------

Molly made it to the coffee shop early, work being extremely easy today. She sat and fidgeted with the book she was pretending to read, looking for Greg. She hadn't been able to get him off her mind today, even when Sherlock showed up to request a kidney and a heart from her latest cadaver.

About ten minutes later, Greg walked in, freshly showered and changed. His face lit up when he saw Molly and he made his way over to her. Leaning down, he caught her lips and gave her a gentle kiss.

"You ordered yet?" he asked, standing back up. Molly shook her head and he continued, "What do you want? I'll order for both of us." She told black tea and Greg wound his way back to the counter to order tea and coffee.

Carefully juggling the hot cups, Greg placed them on the table and sat down next to Molly. He draped an arm companionably over her shoulder, wanting her to be close. They sipped their drinks in silence, absorbing each other's presence.

"You know, I found out today is an interesting holiday," Greg said conversationally. Molly's face tilted up to his, the question in her eyes.

"It's National Kissing Day," Greg explained, loving the blush that flushed across her cheeks. He leaned down and kissed her cheeks then her lips, smiling against her.

"I... I didn't know that," Molly murmured, her arm tightening across his waist. "What are the usual celebrations for the day?"

"I don't know," Greg replied, leaning down to her again. "Though I suppose kissing is a large part." He caught her lips again, moving gently against them.


	5. Day to Remember

Greg woke up the next morning in Molly's flat again, sprawled across the couch. They both were still a bit hesitant to actually sleep in the same bed together just yet. Though for very different reasons. He sat up on the couch and stretched, glancing around Molly's flat.

"You're up?" Molly said as she walked out of her bedroom. She was wearing a tank top and pajama pants, her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. Greg smiled at her as she walked towards him and sat down next to him.

"I am, yes," he said, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her close. He brushed a kiss over her temple and down her cheek. He kissed her gently on the lips then pulled back to look into her eyes.

"I'm thinking it's time for breakfast," Molly said a bit breathlessly. "I don't tend to keep much in the flat so we could go out, if you like?"

"Sounds good," Greg replied. "Give me fifteen minutes to completely wake up." Molly nodded and padded into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Greg got up and went into Molly's bathroom to change into the spare clothes he'd brought and brush his teeth. He was thankful today was his day off and determined to make it a day to remember with Molly.

He left the bathroom as Molly came in and couldn't resist pulling her into his arms and kissing her again. As she smiled, Greg released her and waved as he walked out. He checked his phone while Molly changed and was grateful to see no one had called or texted during the night. He crossed his fingers for a moment in the hope it stayed that way.

"I'm ready," Molly said as she walked out of her room. Greg took her hand and they walked downstairs and took Greg's car this time. Greg drove to a diner he particularly liked that had amazing croissants. He was such a regular there that the morning servers knew his order on sight. Molly ordered bacon and eggs to go with her coffee and they chatted while waiting for their food.

"So what's the weirdest thing you've ever seen, working as a pathologist?" Greg asked. His job as a homicide detective had given him a rather morbid curiousity and he could tell Molly was the same.

"Probably the floater I got a few years ago who had been stung to death by jellyfish," Molly replied thoughtfully. "He had all these red streaks on his skin and I had no idea what had caused it until Sherlock chanced by. What about you? Your weirdest case?"

"Sherlock is good at making us all feel like dunces, isn't he?" Greg asked, chuckling wryly. "I would have to say my weirdest case was an older woman who disappeared. Her kids thought that her cats had eaten her or something. Turns out, she went on vacation without telling them because she won a small fortune in the lottery."

Molly laughed at that, her warm tones echoing in the small diner. Greg took her hand again, twining his fingers with hers. There was silence while their food was placed on the table and the first bites were enjoyed.

"What made you decide to become a pathologist?" Greg asked, after the first pangs of his hunger had been satisfied.

"I wanted to help people," Molly replied, taking a sip of orange juice. "But I don't relate well with people. I'm shy. So I decided to become a pathologist because I can still help people and stop those who hurt others."

"That's pretty much the same reason I got on the force," Greg said. "I've always wanted to get criminals off the street and save people. Though in homicide, I do a lot less saving than you'd expect."

"But you have saved people," Molly protested. "Some of the cases I've helped Sherlock with were yours. And I remember some were kidnappings that you and he solved."

They ate and talked further, delving into each other's pasts. Greg marvelled that he'd never really seen Molly before. She was surprisingly layered and complex, much like himself. And with their careers and interests, they always had something to talk about. The final piece that proved to Greg how well this was going was how easy it was to be with her. Molly was kind and relaxing and he felt that he didn't need to hide things with her.

Molly watched Greg staring at her out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help the blush that rose on her cheeks. She'd always wanted to be the focus of Sherlock's stares but this felt so much better. She didn't feel like she was being taken apart and analyzed piece by piece. This felt like Greg was seeing her, all of her, and accepting her for who she was.

"What do you see, when you look at me like that?" she finally asked, curiousity getting the better of her.

"You," Greg replied, smiling softly at her. "I see a strong, proud, intelligent woman that I am proud to work with much less date." Molly didn't know how to reply to that so she just smiled and continued to eat her breakfast. Greg followed suit and an easy silence fell between the two of them. By the time she was done eating, Molly had made a decision. She wanted to see where this could go between the two of them. Clearing her throat, she waited until Greg met her eyes.

"Want to go back to my flat when we're done?" she asked, trying to keep her tone easy. But her hands shook lightly and the blush crept back onto her cheeks.

"Of course," Greg replied. He reached across the table again and took her hand, knowing what she was implying. And truth be told, he wanted her. He finished his breakfast and took the check, gently setting Molly's protests to the side.

"My treat," he said. "Besides, I'd like to think of this as a date and I always pay on dates."

"All right," Molly giggled and finished her orange juice. They walked hand in hand back to Molly's flat and slowly up the stairs. Once inside, Molly's courage failed her and she stood their with the blush flaming across her cheeks.

"Sorry," she murmured quietly. "It's been... a while... And the last guy I dated was... Jim."

"Its ok, Molly," Greg said soothingly, rubbing a hand down her arm. "Why don't we start slow and see where it goes?" With that, he stepped forward and claimed her lips, kissing her gently.


	6. Ribbon

Molly melted into the kiss, trying to let all of her worries go. Greg was very different from Jim but it was still difficult. She let her arms wrap around his neck, fingers tickling at the hair feathering over his collar. Molly was proud of herself that she didn’t flinch when Greg’s hand wandered down her back. It was something Jim had done the couple times they’d kissed. Her muscles did lock up a bit, which Greg picked up on.

“You all right?” he murmured, pulling back to meet her eyes. “We can stop if you want.”

“No, just give me a minute,” Molly replied, blushing and looking away. This really shouldn’t be so hard. She shouldn’t let the past affect her like this. Greg understood and stood there with her though he didn’t pull her arms away. Molly was appreciative of that, fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to continue if he pulled away completely.

Molly took a deep breath, willing her muscles to relax. She concentrated on Greg, his touch and scent were completely different to Jim’s. Finally, she had to laugh at herself; she was tired of being shy and scared. She smiled up at Greg and leaned up for a kiss. She was done being scared, done letting her past rule over what she did.

“Why don’t we go to the bedroom?” Molly suggested and laughed when Greg looked surprised and happy. He ran his fingers through her ponytail, slowly undoing the ribbon that held her hair back.

“Sounds good,” he replied, stealing another kiss. They walked into Molly’s bedroom, clothes discarded along the way. Molly lay down on her bed and pulled Greg down until he was ranged over her. This felt right and they both abandoned themselves to the other.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A month later, Greg and Molly were still dating. They still felt crazy about each other, felt that they had finally found someone right. But Molly wanted to take it slow because she wasn’t used to being in a good relationship and Greg was still healing from his divorce. Sherlock confined himself to small, snarky comments and knowing looks. John was genuinely happy for both of them and explained Sherlock’s stance on it all. Everything was going well and would continue to do so.


End file.
